As the spring semester rolls around, so does the excitement of Moorpark College’s spring musical, “Hairspray.”

The vibrant array of characters are what students can expect from this particular musical, each bringing their own twists and turns to the stage. John Loprieno, interim dean of performing arts, said it was these characters that attracted him to the musical.

“We love the depth of the cast in terms of diversity,” said Loprieno. “It’s a great play to get kids who don’t normally participate in theater to participate and to hopefully come see the show too. Tracy is a nontraditional leading lady. It is a great message.”

Loprieno feels that “Hairspray” has a big appeal and will attract as many as 4,800 people attending the performances.

With such a fun play comes some pretty unique characters. Theresa Wegher-Thompson, 18-year-old double major in theater and music and playing Tracy Turnblad, the lead character, says that she feels the hardest part is not only learning all the dances, but also being consistent with her vocals through the eight weeks of rehearsals and performances.

“Tracy sings in about 90 percent of the music and she isn’t exactly quiet,” said Wegher-Thompson. “She is pretty blaring. It can get to be a bit much.”

Although the character’s vocals can take a toll, Wegher-Thompson says her favorite part of playing Tracy is her hopefulness for the world.

Another one of the characters in “Hairspray,” Penny Pingleton, will be played by Alexandra Rae, 25-year-old theater major.

“I love that Penny figures out who she is and allows herself that liberty to be free even though she has this overbearing mother who literally ties her to a bed,” said Rae.

Rae said that the hardest part of the play is keeping her stamina up, being that she has never done anything like this before.

“It’s insane for me personally,” said Rae. “This is one of my first leads of this amount and being on stage as much as I am, with all the dancing and singing and moving, it’s a constant up energy and holding that throughout the show is probably the hardest part for me.”

Along with the cast, there are a lot of people that are involved in putting on a grand production such as “Hairspray” One of them would be the stage manager, Leslie Weossner, 21-year-old theater arts major. Weossner is the one in charge of making sure everything runs smoothly.

“The biggest challenge being the stage manager would be keeping track of everything at every given moment, but it is actually my favorite part of the show,” said Weossner.

Weossner, along with the overall cast, agrees that opening night is going to be a bit nerve-wracking and exciting because it’s the night they get to see all their hard work pay off. Both cast and crew agreed that they are all anxious for the nerves, excitement and energy that comes along with opening night.

“The thing I think about when I think about this show is just colorful, very vibrant, this explosion of joy and nerves just because it is such a big undertaking,” said Wegher-Thompson. “I think everyone is just going to be so happy and excited to get up there and it is going to be great.”

“Hairspray” will have 12 performances, including one free matinee on March 9 at 10 a.m. The show will run from March 3-5, 10-12 and 17-19 at 8 p.m. and March 6, 13 and 20 at 2 p.m. Prices range from $8 to $12 and seating is assigned. Tickets are now available online at http://www.moorparkcollege.edu/departments/academic/theatre-arts/performing-arts-center